Kansas district plans to build $27 million early childhood facility

The Shawnee Mission (Kansas) district is planning to build a $27 million early childhood education center on the site of a former elementary school in Overland Park.

The Kansas City Star reports that the district will tear down the former Katherine Carpenter Elementary and construct a facility that will serve 200 to 250 3- to 5-year-olds.

Katherine Carpenter Elementary operated from 1965 until 2008.

The Overland Park Planning Commission approved plans for the center in February. The facility will have 18 classrooms that would accommodate morning and afternoon sessions five days a week. Each classroom is typically staffed by a teacher, a pre-kindergarten aide and a pre-kindergarten para-educator.        

Construction is set to begin in May or June. The facility is set to open in 2027.

Funding to build the center comes from a $264 million bond proposal that voters approved in 2021.